Where We Went Wrong
by Angel of the Axis
Summary: Rated M for self-harm, abuse, blood/gore and suicide. As he lay dying, he couldn't help but wonder just where their relationship went horribly wrong. Mentioned Puzzleshipping (and implied Tendershipping).


**A/N: This was written during a long period of self-hate and depression, so I apologize if this gets too dark. I don't own anything in this story, and I most certainly do _not_ condone cutting.**

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Blood slowly pooled around the slice on his wrist, the dull pain making a shaky smile come to his lips. He coughed weakly, trying not to choke on his saliva as he cut a bit deeper on his other wrist.

The voices swirled around, mingling in a twisted melody of sound as his hand loosened its grip on the blade's handle, clattering to the floor.

Yugi didn't know, exactly, where it had gone wrong. For as long as he could remember, he lived in darkness, not bothering to fight back against opposite forces that seemed hellbent on making him suffer.

Then, his ray of hope came; at first he was terrified, but as he came to terms with him he accepted the spirit with open arms. For the first time, he had a friend.

He tried to focus more on breathing; it was getting harder to clear his muddled thoughts as the effects of the loss of blood caught up with him.

 _"Step one, you say we need to talk; he walks, you say sit down, it's just a talk."_

It hadn't been the first time he'd done it. It had all started a few weeks ago...this endless ring of self-destruction.

There had been a fight. Yelling. He remembered a sharp, stinging pain in his cheek and ruby eyes widened.

A quick apology was uttered as he wet a cloth, holding it to his cheek. He smiled grimly, just standing there, barely listening to the older's rant.

He should've known better, that his lover wasn't really sorry.

 _"He smiles politely back at you; you stare politely right on through."_

He'd promised a make-up date the next day, planning to take him to his favorite restaurant. Even he had been excited...but the date was forgotten quickly when an emergency meeting came up.

Of course, he forgave him without a moment's hesitation. "Everybody has an emergency once or twice," he'd said with a shrug.

Looking back, he idly wondered just how stupid he'd been to believe that.

Later that week, upon a call from Seto, he'd found out he wasn't at work for that 'emergency meeting' he'd claimed had come up. He was suspicious, but one look from his lover made him forget any accusations he should've made.

 _"Some sort of window to your right as he goes left and you stay right; between the lines of fear and blame, you begin to wonder why you came."_

A week later, and he noticed he was gone a lot more; Yami had been acting rather distant as of late, always finding some excuse to avoid his partner.

Most nights found himself in bed, alone, wondering if he'd done something wrong to offend him in some way. He didn't even want to know where he was disappearing.

He would so often cry himself to sleep, trying to stop the voices of self-loathing that whispered to him, taunting him, torturing him into lying awake for hours some nights.

 _"Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend somewhere along in the bitterness."_

He'd begun hanging out with others more, barely acknowledging him at the dinner table anymore. The younger had just sighed, continuing to pick at his food.

Oh, so often he wished they could be as close as they had been, staying awake long after bedtime, talking and laughing and joking until morning.

He wanted to feel his arms around him, comforting, protecting, keeping him safe.

He wished to feel those lips, the ones that had begun to snap at him, revealing random bursts of anger for no reason.

Where did all their love, their devotion to each other go?

"And I would have stayed up with you all night, had I known how to save a life."

After catching him kissing another woman, he'd turned to his friends for help. Ryou and Bakura helped him, giving him shoulders to cry on, a teddy bear to fall asleep with, slowly helping him back to his feet.

He'd heard them talking one day; talking about how stupid the ex-ruler was for kissing her. He agreed silently, wishing every day that the scene he'd witnessed was just a nightmare.

Ryou let him sleep in his bed, rocking back and forth with him against his chest, slowly lulling him to a tearful sleep. Each night it happened, he felt helpless. And yet, each morning after, he felt so refreshed.

He found himself thinking about him, wondering if they'd done just that, so long ago. Although it had been only a few weeks, it felt like years ever since they'd last showed each other affection.

 _"Let him know that you know best, cause after all you do know best,"_

Sometimes when he'd return home, Yami was there, acting as if he knew the best course of action. They'd argue for hours, each time ending in him storming out in a flurry of tears, staying the night at some other friend's house. Mostly, it was Ryou, Bakura, Joey, or even Seto.

Of course, he stopped staying with the CEO after the older began questioning his partner's faithfulness.

Each time he'd find himself in a pointless argument, and each time he ended up getting snapped at, blamed for their relationship's failure because he 'cheated' on him with his enemy.

He'd wised up after one particular fight, where he'd gotten a punch to the eye, ending with it being slightly swollen.

He never once said a word to him that tipped him off that he knew he was the two-timer.

 _"Try to slip past his defense without granting innocence."_

The days only got worse when he began showing up later than usual, usually being helped to the house by a friend when he got drunk.

He just sighed, tucking him in bed with a kiss to his sweaty forehead. The kiss meant nothing to him now; where he'd the spark, the magic gone?

Every morning after he got drunk he would rest until noon, nursing a headache. He didn't dare cross the ex-ruler's path during that time, not wanting to become a target for the older's irritation.

 _"Lay down a list of what is wrong, the things you've told him all along,"_

Some mornings he would wake up, his lover berating him for all his faults, stomping out of the house once his tirade was done. The younger swallowed back tears, knowing he would be gone until at least midnight.

 _"Pray to God, he hears you; and I pray to God, he hears you."_

He prayed desperately for him to go back to his old self, weeping bitter tears as he voiced his concerns to God. As usual, though, he felt even God ignored his pleas as their shaky relationship still seemed on the rocks.

 _"And where did I go wrong? I lost a friend somewhere along in the bitterness. And I would have stayed up with you all night, had I known how to save a life."_

His memories grew fuzzy for a moment as he picked the knife back up, slicing further up his arm, careful not to cut too deep.

He would be gone - hopefully until tomorrow - drinking and partying.

 _"As he begins to raise his voice, you lower yours and grant him one last choice."_

Their fights steadily grew more loud, more violent - until after one really bad spat, he was admitted to the hospital by Ryou after the silverette had found him lying on the floor the next morning, looking half-dead.

 _"Drive until you lose the road or break with the ones you've followed,"_

He didn't even seem to try to say sorry anymore, merely giving him a hateful stare when he was clear to go home. He learned to ignore after the first couple of times.

 _"He will do one of two things; he will admit to everything-"_

Yugi felt his patience wearing thin sometimes, often staying with a trusted friend to try and feel safe again. The old feelings of fear kept creeping back.

 _"-Or he'll say he's just not the same, and you'll begin to wonder why you came."_

Often he would remark on how he wasn't the same Yugi he knew, and how much he wondered why he stayed with the poor sap.

 _"Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend somewhere along in the bitterness..."_

He shivered as he reached his elbow. He let a small smile flicker across his lips for a moment at the blood slowly seeping out of his wounds.

 _"And I would have stayed up with you all night, had I known how to save a life."_

A stray tear made its descent down his cheek when he thought back to the happy times they'd shared; how many nights they watched movies, joked around, or even slept over at another's house.

 _"Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend somewhere along in the bitterness, and I would have stayed up with you all night had I known how to save a life."_

He felt more tears well up in his eyes, a quiet sob escaping.

 _"How to save a life..."_

He just couldn't take it anymore.

 _"How to save a life..."_

He traced around his stomach, a small voice wondering whether he should really do it. He'd never went this far before.

 _"Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend somewhere along in the bitterness."_

He smiled grimly when the front door to the game shop opened, its bells jingling. He made his decision.

 _"And I would have stayed up with you all night, had I known how to save a life."_

He pressed down slowly at first, flinching a bit at the new sensation.

 _"Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend somewhere along in the bitterness...and I would have stayed up with you all night, had I known how to save a life..."_

He slammed it down deep, eyes widening as his mouth opened in a silent scream. He felt blood riding in his throat as footsteps came closer to his room.

 _"How to save a life..."_

A panicked shout filled his ears as he felt the knife get dislodged, looking into the teary eyes of Ryou. Knowing him, Bakura was probably with him.

His suspicions were affirmed when the ex-tomb robber froze in the doorway, quickly fumbling with his phone as he hurried to dial 911.

Ryou cried, cradling his head in his lap as Yugi coughed, blood flying across the room to the opposite wall, staining it red.

"Hold on, Yugi! Just hold on...!" The Brit kept yelling as his body slowly began to lose feeling, hauled into the back of a screaming vehicle.

He tried to smile at the Brit one last time, closing his eyes.

 **"Beep...beep...beep..."**

Faintly, he could've sworn he saw, for but a moment, Yami's silhouette.

 **"Beep...beep...beep...beep..."**

 _"...How to save a life."_

The heart monitor flatlined.

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 **A/N: He got cheated on, it turned violent very quick, and he couldn't take the pain of a loveless, abusive relationship anymore. Please tell me what you thought.**


End file.
